Amid SP's oppn to food bill, Mulayam meets PM

HT Correspondent and Agencies,
New Delhi

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Updated: Jul 11, 2013 11:38 IST

After terming the food security ordinance as being “anti-farmer”, SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav held a half-an-hour meeting with Manmohan Singh on Thursday – fuelling speculations the party was thinking of withdrawing support to the UPA government.

Yadav, whose party is extending outside support to UPA, was at Prime Minister's residence for nearly half-an-hour and left just before the Cabinet meeting was to begin.

Sources, however, indicated that Yadav’s main agenda was to demand for a special relief package for the flood-affected districts of UP.

When asked about the purpose of his visit, he merely said that he had come for a cup of tea.

Refusing to divulge details, Yadav said his party’s opposition to the food security ordinance could not be construed to the SP considering withdrawing support to the government.

Last week, Yadav had attacked Congress over the food security ordinance, accusing it of indulging in vote bank politics and said its intentions were not good.

With Lok Sabha elections nearing, Congress is bringing the ordinance like it had brought rural employment scheme MNREGA before the previous polls, he had said.

"The ordinance has been brought keeping in mind Lok Sabha polls...The intentions of Congress are not good and my party would look into it and see that interest of farmers is not harmed. Congress is only doing vote politics...," Yadav had said.

"Over five lakh people died, mostly in Maharashtra, due to starvation...Why the government did not distribute food grains to them then...The condition of Congress is not good in the entire country and the ordinance is a mere propaganda," he had alleged.